Zika Fact File.

Many of us have been hearing about Zika, but in the midst of fuel scarcity, budget padding and Hunger, we really aren't paying all that attention on what's breaking the news on CNN, BBC and the likes. Here are a few facts everyone needs to know about the virus. Zika is called a pandemic in progress by health experts. It is a virus and an illness. Certain mosquitoes, infected Aedes Mosquitoes carry it and transmits it to people. The swiftly spreading virus is known to cause microcephaly and other brain related problems, some babies infected with Zika before birth have been found to have missing brain structures, vision and hearing defects, or poor growth. Emergency responders are doubling down their effort to keep pregnant women and their foetus safe, and quickly learn more about the virus. There are more questions about Zika than there are answers so there seem to be a lot of confusion. It is therefore important to know the following facts:

 

·       Before 2015, Zika virus occurred in areas of Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.

·       In May 2015, the Pan America Health Organization issued an alert regarding the first the first confirmed Zika virus in Brazil.

·       Outbreaks are currently occurring in many Countries.

·       Zika Virus will continue to spread and it will be difficult to determine how and where the virus will spread over time.

·       On February 1, 2016 the World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International concern in some areas affected by Zika.

The most common symptoms of Zika virus disease are a mild fever, skin rashes, muscle and joint pain, and pink eye otherwise known as conjunctivitis. Symptoms tend to last up to a week. If you get Zika while not pregnant, it doesn’t pose a risk for birth defect in future pregnancies, after the virus has been cleared from your blood. And once you’ve been infected with Zika, you are likely to be protected from a future Zika infection.

There is no vaccination or medicine for Zika. Treatment is simply mostly by getting plenty of rest, drinking lots of fluids and taking acetaminophen to relieve fever pain. (Do not take NSAIDS like ibuprofen or aspirin).

Also note that Zika can be sexually transmitted, so if your partner has been to countries or regions where there’s an outbreak, you need to use protection. Children can catch Zika but It’s generally a mild illness.